Thankful for the Work

I’m a big fan of the DIY shows on television. I really like watching as kitchen and bathrooms are transformed from old and dingy to new and usable. It always amazes me when the homeowner says they want to stay in the house during the remodel and then they begin to complain about all the mess, the noise and the inconvenience. I want to ask “what is it about the word remodel you didn’t understand?”

But the same is true in our spiritual lives. We say “Lord, take me and mold me into your image and likeness. I want to be like You! I want to be the person you’ve designed me to be.” And our prayer is sincere – we all want to be like Him but without the noise and the mess and the inconvenience…just saying.

We want to go to bed and wake up in the morning with no more bad thoughts or habits. We want to look all bright and shiny, glowing with the Father’s love for everyone to see. However, before the outside changes there’s a lot that needs to be done to build new supports, new wiring, a new central control. The Word of God is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction – for remodel!

The more we complain about the work that has been started and the work that still needs to be done the longer the process takes.

“ The heart is free where the Spirit of the Lord is. The Lord is the Spirit. ¹⁸ All of us, with no covering on our faces, show the shining-greatness of the Lord as in a mirror. All the time we are being changed to look like Him, with more and more of His shining-greatness. This change is from the Lord Who is the Spirit.” II Corinthians 3:17-18 NLV

The casual observer only sees the new paint, flooring, and appliances but the homeowner and the contractor know that the foundation is firm, the wiring is good and won’t short out and that the plumbing won’t leak. He won’t leave the job half finished.

“ I am sure that the good work God began in you will continue until he completes it on the day when Jesus Christ comes again.” Philippians 1:6 ERV

“So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. ²⁰ As God’s household, you are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. ²¹ The whole building is joined together in him, and it grows up into a temple that is dedicated to the Lord.” Ephesians 2:19-21 CEB

If you look at your life and it looks a little dusty, maybe some loose wires and a couple of holes in the walls, remember you are under construction. You are a new creation.

“ So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him. ⁷ Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving just as you were taught.” Colossians 2:6-7 CEB

“ So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived!” II Corinthians 5:17 CEB

Be thankful for the work that’s being done. We are a new creation and the Master Builder of life is working in us so that we conform to His image.